The forces of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi advanced to the east to the direction of Benghazi, the stronghold of the armed opposition in Libya. His aides predicted the government's victory in a few days at a time when world powers continued to discuss the issue of no-fly zone.

As its forces moved toward the city, the Libyan army Wednesday asked the residents of Benghazi to lay arms. In a statement by the Libyan armed forces read on state television, the residents were advised to urge their children to hand over their weapons to the armed forces and get amnesty. Residents in Benghazi: said they had found leaflets dumped in the streets telling them that they would not be punished if they stopped fighting.

In the city, there were mixed feelings of challenge and tension at the headquarters of the National Transitional Government. Residents feared bloodshed if the city is attacked by government forces. Salah bin Saud, a former government official who lives in Benghazi said life was normal in the city. He added that the streets and shops were crowded. There were some demonstrations in support of the revolution but supporters of al-Gaddafi were not seen.

After the seizure of the town of Ajdabiya, military experts claimed there were several options in front of Gaddafi's army in the desert region. The Libyan army can advance on the coastal highway to Benghazi or to move to the east to Tobruk, which lies 400 km from Benghazi in order to isolate his opponents. A senior official at the Libyan Foreign Ministry conveyed on Wednesday that the government hopes to regain control over all the territories "soon."